Kinsman fresh-food center partners with Tri-C to open Bridgeport Market Cafe and Community Kitchen

Gus Chan, The Plain DealerTim Tramble, executive director of Burten, Bell and Carr Community Development Inc., a community development corporation that operates in Cleveland's Central and Kinsman neighborhoods, in the Bridgeport Market Cafe and Community Kitchen. The facility will serve as a fresh-food production center with a cafe, kitchen for cooking demonstrations and cold storage facility where urban farmers can rent space to store fresh produce.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The operators of a fresh-food production center slated to open in Cleveland's Kinsman neighborhood this summer have partnered with Cuyahoga Community College and local chefs to help residents learn about the benefits of fresh food and healthy eating.

The Bridgeport Market Cafe and Community Kitchen will open in early August through a grant to help eliminate "food deserts." The project is being led by Burten, Bell and Carr Development Inc., a community development corporation. Construction began in March at the Bridgeport Place on Kinsman Road.

Students and faculty from Tri-C's hospitality management and occupational therapy programs will teach residents about nutrition and exercise. A private chef and a catering service have also signed on to hold cooking demonstrations for residents and teach them about various cuisines and healthy eating.

Nearly 200 residents already have chimed in during community meetings about the center and have discussed ideas for using the facility, employment opportunities and educational courses.

At some of the meetings, residents have helped decide on logos, menu items and prices at the cafe in addition to topics for cooking demonstrations. For instance, residents' input helped determine that none of the items in a proposed caf menu of various bagels, salads, soups and sandwiches would cost more than $7. No coffee or special drink will cost more than $4.

Tim Tramble, executive director for Burten, Bell and Carr, expects the project to serve about 30,000 people in its first year. He said the facility will also include a cold storage unit for urban farmers and a mobile food market, allowing residents to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from a refrigerated truck.

The food center project is a part of a five-year $759,000 federal grant awarded to the community development corporation in 2011.

The Kinsman neighborhood is considered a food desert because it is an area where residents have to travel more than a mile to get fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. The area is one of the city's poorest neighborhoods and does not have a major grocery store.

Some residents say they shop at convenience stores with less than quality produce or dine at fast-food joints that don't offer the most nutritious meals. Tramble said the goal of the project is to help make residents a part of a healthier society and to change residents' food options.

"Not all of the corner stores are bad," Tramble said. "Hopefully some of these stores see that there is a bottom line if they have more conciseness about keeping their stores cleaner and offering fresh produce and quality products."

Residents who have attended the meetings said they hope to use the facility and believe community participation is vital for the project to be successful.

Samuel Maul, 55, of Cleveland, has lived in Kinsman since he was a child. Aside from a McDonald's and some neighborhood corner stores, residents don't have many options for fresh food if they don't have transportation, he said.

"We have a few stores but not nearly as much as we need," Maul said. "This will give residents a healthy alternative to some of the limited food choices we have here.

"I've never seen anything like this on Kinsman before, and they are really trying to get everyone involved."

The project also will help educate residents about the importance of fresh food and how to prepare it.

Michael Schoop, president of Tri-C's Metropolitan Campus, said students and faculty from the school's hospitality management, dietetic technician and occupational therapy programs will host programs at Bridgeport Place.

He said technicians will teach participants about choosing nutritious food, hospitality management students will talk about healthy cooking, and occupational therapists will host fitness classes in which residents can learn about yoga and other exercises.

"This is a good partnership because our core mission is to help promote the quality of life and well-being of residents and their access to education," Schoop said. "It is an easy way to educate people while they are enjoying a fellowship around food, and we will be teaching the basics about health and nutrition."

Some community partners who have ties to the area want to help educate residents about how to live a healthier lifestyle.

Eric Wells, a private chef who grew up in Mount Pleasant, said he will instruct residents during 21/2-hour cooking demonstrations.

"This is important, because I know that area is a food desert and people don't have a lot of options when it comes to healthy foods," Wells said. "We can go to the store and buy zucchini, but if you don't know how to use it in a healthy way, it's pointless."

Wells said that in his first sessions he will teach people how to prepare seasonal foods. Most of the produce will come from the Urban Agricultural Innovation Zone near East 83rd Street and Kinsman.

"As African-Americans, we have a high rate of heart disease and obesity, so anything I can do to teach people how to eat healthy is something I had to be a part of."

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.